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Cited by 36Disability Education and EmploymentMultiple Sclerosis Research StudiesRetirement, Disability, and Employment

Should I stay or should I go? A prospective investigation examining individual factors impacting employment status among individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS)

Open access
Strober, Lauren B., Chiaravalloti, Nancy, DeLuca, John·2018·Work
DOI 10.3233/wor-172667PMC PMC13528306
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Rates of unemployment among individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) are as high as 80%. While several factors for such high rates of unemployment have been identified, they do not account for the majority of the variance. OBJECTIVE: This study examines person-specific factors such as personality and coping, which may better account for individuals leaving the workforce. METHOD: Forty individuals with MS (20 considering reducing work hours or leaving the workforce and 20 remaining employed) were matched on age, gender, education, disease duration, and disease course, and administered a comprehensive survey of factors purported to be related to employment status. RESULTS: Based on multiple, logistic regression analyses certain disease factors and person-specific factors differentiate those who are considering leaving work or reducing work hours and those staying employed. In particular, those expressing the need to reduce work hours or leaving the workforce reported more fatigue, anxiety, depression, and use of behavioral disengagement as a means of coping. In contrast, those staying employed reported greater levels of extraversion, self-efficacy, and use of humor as a means of coping. Together, fatigue, use of humor, and use of behavioral disengagement as a means of coping were the most significant factors, accounting for 44% of the variance. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that greater consideration be given to these factors and that interventions tailored to address these factors may assist individuals with MS staying employed and/or making appropriate accommodations.

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  • These invisible symptoms can significantly impact wellbeing, relationships, employment and life goals.

    “which can significantly impact wellbeing, relationships, employment and life goals (Cowan et al., 2020;Lublin et al., 2022;Strober et al., 2018;Topcu et al., 2020).”

    From Neuropsychology intervention for managing invisible symptoms of MS (NIMIS-MS) group: A pilot effectiveness and acceptability study (2024) · cites this paper as Strober et al., 2018

    The Discussion reports that fatigue, depressive symptoms and anxiety distinguish people with MS considering reduced work or leaving employment from those staying employed. It also links maintaining employment to subsequent quality of life. The paper does not establish an impact of these symptoms on relationships or life goals; no page numbers are available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. [16]Edgley K, Sullivan MJ, Dehoux E. A survey of multiple sclerosis: II. Determinants of employment status. Canadian Journal of Rehabilitation 1991.
  2. [38]Schwarzer R, Jerusalem M. Generalized self-efficacy scale. Measures in Health Psychology: A User’s Portfolio Causal and Control Beliefs 1995; 1: 35– 7.

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Related

Authors
Strober, L. B., Chiaravalloti, N., & DeLuca, J.
Affiliations
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
Corresponding author
Strober, Lauren B.
ORCID
Venue
Work
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2018-02-03
Volume
59
Issue
1
Pages
39-47
ISSN
  • 1051-9815 (ISSN-L)
  • 1875-9270
DOI
10.3233/wor-172667
PMC
PMC13528306
OpenAlex
W2782601913
Cited by
36
References
50
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 3
FWCI
9.44
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
public-domain
Locations
  • Work (publishedVersion, public-domain)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (K23HD069494)
  • National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Disability Education and Employment
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine › Multiple Sclerosis Research Studies
  • Social Sciences › Demography › Retirement, Disability, and Employment
Keywords
multiple sclerosis, employment status, unemployment, coping strategies, humor, behavioral disengagement, fatigue, anxiety, depression, extraversion, self-efficacy, personality, workplace accommodations
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Anxiety, Depression, Employment, Fatigue, Female, Disabled Persons, Persons with Disabilities, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Multiple Sclerosis, Personality, Prospective Studies, Surveys and Questionnaires, Logistic Models, Cost of Illness, Self Efficacy

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